Ep03: Hunting Season
by BH72
Summary: Third sequel to All in the Name of Family and Half Moon Bay. Callen is recovering away from his family and team. Janvier remains on the loose as the team try to gain information to his where abouts. Things are changing in Half Moon Bay while Callen remains away. Will Callen be ready when Janvier comes? Will his team be able to find Janiver in time? Involves whole team.


**E03: Hunting Season**

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from NCISLA or NCIS. They belong to the amazing teams under the reigns of Shane Brennan. All original characters are mine._

_A/N: Sequel to Half Moon Bay. To those of who have followed the two prequels to this story, I thank you immensely for your loyal support. To those who have just discovered this story: I recommend you read All in the Name of Family and then Half Moon Bay before reading this sequel. I prefer to call them episodes, like the show. I will now name these by their episode numbers._

_If you have read my story: Something to Call His Own, you may recognise some characters in this story._

_Warning: I do not intend to offend anyone with any racial slurs or hunting mentioned in this chapter._

**Chapter 1**

**Illinois...**

It had been the longest and most challenging two months in all of Callen's life. Never before had he felt so out of control of his body and emotions. The usually emotionless seasoned agent, who was good at compartmentalising the horror he saw on his job, fell apart, after two months of intensive physiotherapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He thought he was tough, but this therapy had been hard. He had been pushed to his limits.

The only familiar face he had seen was that of his Father's, who drove him each day for his therapy sessions, pushing him along in the wheelchair and helped him move from his bed to the chair and into the bathroom. The house they lived in was situated on Fox Lake, in the north west region of Illinois, a good hour's drive from the Institute. Nothing else mattered more to him at that moment, than to get his strength back into his limbs, so he could return home. Not to his Los Angeles home which remained sparsely furnished, but to Half Moon Bay, where Ava and their children lived.

It had frustrated him to be shut away from his family and his team, to be another alias. He had accepted the reason why it had to be this way, as he was in no fit state to protect himself, let alone anyone else. But this alias had to be the one he disliked the most of all the aliases he had been in his life. It wasn't that he couldn't be Patrick Greer, because the truth be known, he slotted into being him easily enough. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter either. Patrick Greer was an invalid, dependent on his Father, James. Callen had to admit, that although he despised his new alias, Granger's alias was another story. He was kind, always tending to his son's needs; which were a lot, seeing he was weak. James Greer didn't have walls up around him, nor was he rude. He was a good Father and Callen hoped James Greer stayed and Owen Granger disappeared forever.

The two had found a common ground on which to bond, not long after their arrival to Chicago. Callen had been in the foulest of moods with his Father and Owen had had enough. Both men had to put who they were behind them and be James and Patrick; Father and son. What James did next, changed everything for Patrick. He broke down the barriers of Callen, the real man inside the new alias, when he took him to an animal rescue centre to buy him a dog. Patrick had refused at first when James wheeled him inside, but one dog in particular, immediately caught his attention.

_"Buddy!" Before Callen could stop himself, the name was out. In the far end of the cages, sat a two year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever that reminded him of his old dog Buddy. The truth was, the dog hadn't been his in the first place, but belonged to his old partner, Peter Winters. Pete had turned up at the hospital to pick him up with the young pup hidden in his bag. Callen had bonded with the pup immediately, which had taken him by surprise, seeing he'd never had the opportunity to bond with an animal before. Pete knew it would help the younger man, who had been passed from Foster home to Foster home between the ages of five and eighteen. And right Pete had been. But what Pete hadn't envisioned, was his own death, which caused the events of separation of man and dog. It had been heartbreaking for Callen. But now, here he was as Patrick, with his real Father, buying him a dog. He was speechless. For the first time since he had left Ava, Tom and Bronte, Callen let his walls come tumbling down and became his alias, Patrick. A loved son of James Greer._

_James asked a staff member to open the cage after he had seen Callen's reaction. The dog was shy, but intrigued by the wheelchair. Slowly she stepped out of her cage and sniffed Callen. Callen's heart swelled with love immediately and gently rubbed behind her ears. He was thanked by the bitch with licks on his hands and arms, causing Callen to laugh._

_"We'll take her." James told the staff member, before following them out to the office to fill in the necessary paperwork and make the payment for her._

The very subject of Callen's mind barked from excitement as she sat beside him in the boat, as they headed out onto Fox Lake to a hide. The cooler weather had brought a golden display of reds, oranges and yellows as Fall came into full swing, and the beginning of the hunting season.

James had thought the trip out in the clear crisp air would be good for his son after two months of intensive physical therapy. Vapour from each breath danced in front of them as they made their way across the serene lake. The day was early, with the sun only just beginning to peep over the horizon, creating an mixture of amber and pink glow into the dark sky. Maddy barked again as she felt the excitement of the trip. Patrick's mood had lifted as he held the smooth cool rifle in his hands. Finally, he felt control return to his life, if only it meant he could train with the rifle, shooting at tins stacked on a wooden fence post and now waterfowl. Patrick almost felt giddy with excitement on the first day that his Father had set the tins up on the fence and handed him the .22 rifle. The practise had gone better than either men had envisioned, resulting in this trip out onto the lake.

Patrick rubbed Maddy's warm coat up and down her strong back. Since they had brought her to the Lake house, she had become strong and put meat and muscle onto her once neglected lean body. Now she thrived on love, a healthy diet and plenty of exercise. Maddy licked Patrick's cheek with love as they sat on the boat. The two had become the best of friends in a matter of days, bringing a smile on James' face. Even he had softened on the inside from the unconditional love the bitch gave them both. She made them a family, breaking down the sharp edged walls both men had built to survive the harshness of their lives. Whether it be from the need of survival or from what they experienced from their dangerous work.

Maddy jumped off the boat onto the hide's platform, ready for Patrick's first day hunting. They would need Maddy to run and fetch their fowl, if they were successful in hitting their target. James had taught Maddy while Patrick was at therapy, ready for this day. This excursion would test Patrick's ability at shooting moving targets. He would need this skill for survival if and when his nemesis found him. For now, James prayed that Marcel Janvier had fallen for the ploy that he had succeeded in killing Callen with the cyanide. How close the Frenchman had come to this goal, frightened Owen to the core. But they all knew how clever Janvier was, and that he knew only to well the games they also played; such as when Callen pretended to kill Janvier in public, to fool the Iranians. Then they played Janvier again to trade him for Callen, all to protect the CIA's asset: code name Cherokee, in the Persian country. Since then they had played Janvier in the fake killing of the Day family, but Sidorov had found them. If he new who Quinn really was, he probably found out that Ava and her children were still alive. They hoped that he hadn't had the opportunity to tell Janvier. It was too close of a call, which almost saw them lose Ava a second time. Hence the decision to remove Callen from his family and team, to keep himself hidden and everyone he cared about safe.

Callen needed time to heal from the poisoning, to gain the use of his limbs and strength again, while his team searched for Janvier. Owen had been open with Callen once they were alone and away from Stanford Hospital about Janvier's escape. It helped Callen deal with the situation they were faced with and the need for him to hide for the moment.

**Los Angeles...**

Henrietta Lange greeted the former SEAL as he entered the mission. He looked tired, which proved to the old spy that he was still losing sleep from worrying over his partner. "Mr Hanna. You need to get more sleep before you put your team at risk in the field."

"Hetty!" Sam's shoulders drooped as he place his bag beside his desk. He looked over at Callen's desk hoping that today would be the day he would waltz in and crack some smart comment about his appearance. He would put up with it, just to have him back. He missed his brother. It wasn't that he did't work well with his temporary partner, because Nell had proved her worth over the past two months. Besides each case, Nell and Eric had worked tirelessly in finding the French arms dealer. So far nothing had come close. Not one single hit, locally or internationally. It was as if the Chameleon had become someone else. It was possible. He had done this before, alluding them years earlier. However, as long as Janvier was still alive, all of them, especially his partner, were in danger.

Hetty left him to sulk at his desk while Nell finished her analysis of the latest intel, she and Eric had procured. She poured herself a cup of Peking tea as it reminded her of all the times she had sat with her team leader and bonded. She missed him dearly, as if he was her son. She had to admit, the mission was not the same without him. She tried to persuade herself that he was undercover on an active operation and his cheeky smirk would greet her on his return. But the past two months had been long and frustrating for them all. It had been too long since she had heard from Owen, so she had no idea how Callen was doing. She hoped they had learned to play nice and not killed each other yet. She looked up as she heard Nell's light footwork make their way down the stairs to her partner.

"Hey Sam!" Hetty was amazed at the spring in the young woman's appearance, knowing too well she had stayed well into the night on this latest task she had been given.

Sam raised his tired eyes and nodded to Nell. "Hey!"

"Let's go!" Nell moved her head in the direction of the door, causing Sam to furrow his brow in confusion. "We're needed in the boat shed. The so called nurse, Jaquie Ghilas was released into our custody from LA General last night. Deeks and Kensi are waiting on us."

Sam grabbed his keys and quickly followed. The team had waited two months before they were allowed to question their suspect. She had sustained two bullet wounds and concussion from their last meeting. The fact she was the woman who had swapped the tablets with the cyanide laced ones, made the team tense as they met in the main room of the boat shed.

"So how are we going to do this?" Deeks asked their temporary team leader.

Sam had waited for this opportunity for too long, but now he hesitated, unsure on how to proceed. His anger had not waned in the two months towards the woman, but time and meditation had given him some kind of peace knowing that Callen was still alive. It was this peace he wondered whether the woman would pick up on and their ploy of making it appear that Callen was truly dead, fail.

Kensi placed her hand on his shoulder. "Sam?"

Sam looked to his team, proud on how they had carried on without G. "Nell, do you have any questions you want to ask her in particular?"

Nell grinned at the team. They had supported her and made her work hard to earn her place amongst them. She had thrived on the challenge and made them proud. The fact that Sam looked to her for moments like this, had her beaming. She knew the real reason was she because outsmarted them all. If this woman was as clever as Janvier, they needed Nell. "I do actually."

Sam nodded and let her lead the way into the interrogation room, holding their suspect.

The woman turned and glared at Nell and Sam as they entered the small room. "Negré." She spat out as she saw Sam enter the room.

"What did you say?" Sam's body fuelled with anger towards the French woman, lifted her out of her seat and pressed her against the wall. "Tell me again?"

Fear of Sam's power made the woman regret her outburst, although hatred towards him was clearly visible in her eyes.

"Sam! Please. This is not going to help." Nell felt for her partner, for the words the woman spat out at the usually calm former Navy SEAL. She had so much respect for his ability to control his emotions. But the past few months had taken a toll on his emotional well being. She had been in contact with Nate numerous times on her concerns of what was going on with Callen and the team. She had pleaded for him to return, but due to prior arranged and heavily secret missions, Nate had been kept away. Just when they all needed him desperately.

Sam released the woman and moved into the far corner to allow Nell to question her.

"I want a lawyer." She demanded.

"You're lucky to still be alive. The day you killed a Federal Agent by lacing his tablets with cyanide, you lost your rights for one." Nell advised her, calmly. Now it was her turn to ensure she stayed calm, seeing Sam was on edge with adrenaline pumping through his system.

"Then I have succeed in what I was asked to do." A smirk appeared on the dark haired woman's face.

Sam went to move forward towards the woman, but stopped when Nell gave him the gorgon stare. It was obvious to him Hetty had been secretly training the young woman in more ways than he knew.

"Where is Marcel Janvier?" Nell focused on her task at hand, now that she had managed to keep Sam from strangling the woman.

"Who?" Jaquie Ghilas sat with her arms crossed over her chest with a stupid smirk planted on her face.

It reminded Nell of Callen, when he was playing difficult and smug. She missed Callen and suddenly her emotion took over. "Tell me now, or I will let my partner here loose on you." Nell demanded coldly.

"You mean dog. You should put a leash on him." Jaquie spat back, thinking Nell was harmless.

Nell flipped the table between them onto it's side, taking their suspect by surprise. "Where is Janvier?" Nell leaned over Ghilas and showed her that she meant business, as she growled her question again.

"I have no idea." She finally answered. "The plan was for him to find your agent G Callen and finish him off while he lay weak from the cyanide. I didn't know the poisoning would be so successful." Her smirk returned.

A fire lit in Nell's belly as anger raged through her. She surprised herself as she slapped the woman across the face, making the woman's smirk vanish. Nell exited the room to give her time to rein in her emotions, with Sam hot on her heels.

"You okay Nell?" Sam worried over the effects their suspect had on them both. He looked over to Deeks and Kensi. "She's all yours."

"Oh goody! Just what I always wanted. A real live punching bag. How do you want to play this Fern?' Deeks asked sarcastically. Neither of them wanted to be in the same room as this racist slurring woman who had almost succeeded in killing Callen.

"You hold, I'll do the punching." Kensi fiend a smile, which they all saw through.

Sam followed Nell outside as he saw her take in deep breaths to calm her nerves. "You did real good in there Nell. That wasn't an easy interrogation."

Nell looked up at Sam with tears threatening to spill. "I've never had anyone get me so angry before. I haven't slapped anyone across the face since..."

"It doesn't matter Nell. She deserved it and much more.

**Half Moon Bay...**

Natalie Walker gripped the porcelain bowl of the toilet as she spewed into its depths again. A wave of dizziness overtook her as she became sweaty and clammy. How she could still be feeling sick at this stage she couldn't understand. It should be settling down by now. She was fourteen weeks pregnant, something she had somehow managed to hide from her Father and children, but her fast expanding waistline was making it a challenge, let alone her morning vomiting sessions. She splashed water on her pale face as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Mom?" Lexi entered the bathroom with concern as she saw how pale her Mom looked. "Should I call the doctor?" Her Mom had looked unwell since returning home from hospital two weeks earlier. She worried that she had an infection from her wound.

"It's okay sweetheart. I have an appointment later this morning." She gave her daughter a small smile of reassurance. But the truth was, she missed Callen. She worried over how he was going, not having heard a word on how he was doing since he was airlifted to Stanford Hospital.

She followed her daughter down the stairs, taking her time, as her doctor had ordered. Her Father looked up with a puzzled expression as he watched her. Realisation hit him that she was pregnant. He was surprised after all she had been through, but most of all, because he had no idea that she and Callen had been intimate with each other since their relationship had fallen apart all those years ago.

"When were you going to tell us?" He asked in front of her four children.

Natalie blushed as she concluded her Father had worked it out.

Her kids looked between her and their Grandpa and back at each other.

"Tell us what?" Ryan asked, confused.

Natalie sighed. "You had to say it in public!" Knowing too well her Father had done it deliberately.

"This is not public Nat. If you want I'll make an announcement at the reopening of the bakery and cafe tomorrow. Now that is what I call public. This..." He waved his hands around them. "Is family." He laughed at her shock expression.

"You wouldn't dare." She worried over how her kids would take the news. She wasn't young anymore. She knew many women her age still had babies, but it wasn't that common, and the risks increased.

"They're all going to find out soon enough. And there will be questions." He looked over at Lexie as she studied her Mom.

"No way! You and Dad?" Lexie squealed with delight and hugged her Mom. "That's why you've been throwing up every morning."

"I'm missing something here." Ryan, Zac and Mia still hadn't worked it out.

"Mom's pregnant." Lexie announced to her siblings.

Ryan sat down on his chair with his mouth wide open in shock. Zac and Mia walked over and hugged their Mom. "We're happy for you Mom. You deserve to be happy again." Mia told her.

"Ryan?" Gibbs walked over to his eldest grandson. "Are you okay?"

Ryan had a blank look on his face. "I never knew it could happen so easily."

"Pardon?" Ryan's reaction had taken Natalie and everyone else by surprise. She sat down by her son and patiently waited for him to talk. She looked over at her other children. "Can you give us a moment alone please?"

Lexie, Zac and Mia nodded and walked out of the house for a walk along the beach.

Gibbs and Natalie stayed with Ryan and patiently waited for him to get over the shock of her news. "It's not something your Dad and I planned. It just happened. I was just as shocked as you were when the doctor told me I was pregnant." Natalie decided to explain, hoping it would help him to open up.

"Is everything okay son?" Gibbs asked, concern over his grandson was evident in his eyes.

"Gracie's pregnant." Ryan finally revealed. "I'm going to be a...Dad."

It was Natalie and Gibbs' turn to sit there in shock at Ryan's news. Ryan and his girlfriend of the past year had fallen pregnant. "Wow, ain't that something." Gibbs slapped his grandson on the back and grinned broadly at him, as he came out of his shock. "Congratulations son."

Natalie hugged her son. "We're here for you both. You know that don't you? And I'm sure your Dad will be too, when he returns."

"I miss him Mom. I really need him here with us." Ryan admitted.

"I know Ry. We all do. There'll be a huge family welcome for him when he does. It will be a huge surprise for him, that's for sure." Natalie's pregnancy hormones didn't help her prevent the tears that welled up in her eyes over her son's news. "I am happy for you Ry. I just can't help it."

"Tell me about it. Gracie's been crying loads too. She's been worried over how her parents will react when they find out." Ryan hugged his Mom.

"They don't know yet?" Ryan shook his head. "How far along is she?" Natalie inquired. Her son's reaction to her news now made sense to her.

"Eight weeks." The time sunk into each of them. The time of her being shot and almost losing Callen to cyanide poisoning. Ryan had turned to his girlfriend for comfort. Gibbs and Natalie both nodded in understanding over it all.

"Don't leave it too long to tell her parents. Okay?" Natalie stood and grabbed some crackers from the pantry. Her stomach grumbled breaking the emotion in the room.


End file.
